Motor attachment for velocipedes.



I I A W. WALL; MOTDR ATTAGHMENT FOR VBLOCIPBDBS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1909.

Patented Nov. 19, 1912.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

I A/W. WALL. I MOTOR ATTACHMENT FOR VELOOIPEDES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1909 Patented Nov. 19, 1952.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. W. WALL.

MOTOR ATTACHMENT FOR VELQOIPEDES.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 18, 1909.

Patented NOV. 19, 1912.

a SHEETS-SHEET a.

. /Varwick,

- stitute the exclusive from any ARTHUR WILLIAM WALL, OF BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND MOTOR ATTACHMENT 301R VELOCIPEDES. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed lune 18, 1909. Serial'No. 503,029.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ARTHUR WILLIAM- WALL, a subject or the Kingdom of Great Britain, residing at Roe Motor Works, Aston Road, Birmingham, in the county of England, have invented certain;

and. useful improvements in or Relatdated @ctober 30, 1998,) of which the following is a specification.

it not desired that the motor should conmeans' of propulsion under all circumstances, but rather that the motor should assist the pedal-propulsion of the velocipede, Motor attachments of this class have been very much in demand but in the instancesin which this class of apparatus has been. carried into practice very mg to liotor Attachments for Velobipedea: (for which I have applied for Letters Pat-5 ent in Great Britain, Patent No. 23,080,

little satisfaction has been attained in View? of necessity which exists for mounting:' the driving motor upon the velocipede;

frame, the cost alteration incidental to such mountlng beof fitting and structurali ing very little short of that of an ordinary lightweight motor bicycle I The desirability of a practical self-contained motor attachment which may be man- 3 nature that it may be fitted to any existing ufactured in standardized quantities for indiscriminate fitting and which is of such a necessity for any previous alteration in adaptation of the bicycle is at once very evident, and "it is wit 1 this desideratum in view that the present attachment has been devised, the latter bein essentially difierent motor attac unentat present in fifi.

According to the present invention a tractor having a motor driven. auxiliary wheel is adapted for attachment as a third wheel to a bicycle in such a manner that during traction the steering and inclination char acteristics of the bicycle are preserved. The steering characteristics of the bicycle may preserved by arranging the auxiliary wheel as close as may be desirable at the side to the rear wheel of the bicycle; and

the various inclinations which the bicycle is liable to assume during travel may then wheel to have be provided for by enabling the auxiliary a free up-and-down movement in relation to the road surface. The desired adaptation of the auxiliary wheel at the side of the'main wheel in such a manner as to allow of the said up-and-down movement may conveniently be effected by means which insure that throughout all conditions of travel the auxiliary wheel is maintained in parallelism with the main .wheel and by this arrangement the auxiliary and main Wheels are allowed to remain in continuous contact with the ground under all 1 c rcumstances as for instance wben the bicycle is traversing an uneven surface or when the combination 1s negotiating a curve.

Patented Nov. is, isle.

In order that this invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried into 'efi'cct, reference may be had to the appended sheets of drawings, on which-- Figure l is a side elevation of the improved motorattachment applied to a velocipede. Fig. 2 is an elevation from the reverse side to that of Fig. 1 showing the means whereby the attachment is coupled to the vloci ede. Fig. 3 is a plan of thecoupl'ing means slibwn in Fig. 2.

In an embodiment of, this invention such as illustrated by the drawings the auxiliary driving element is provided with the inde- 1 pendent road wheel A which is preferably main road such independent road 'wheel A of smaller diameter than the wheel B being driven by a light high speed motor C. which posed tank In order to allow of a close relation of thejauxiliary wheel with the Wheel of the vehicle, the motor C and its appurtenances such as the magneto e carbureter f and silencer g are advantageously arranged on the outer side of the auxiliary wheel A in which position they may be conveniently operated and regulated as by an exhaust-lifter IL and other known control devices, their. weight being substantially accommodated by the auxiliary wheel. Various means may be employed for accommodating or securing parallel relationship of the contiguous wheels under the varying road conditions. The'bracket or device upon which the auxiliary wheel is mounted may be articulated to the frame in such a manner that the pivot of articulation is arranged parallel to the spindle ofthe main li'oadwheel such an arranr 'emerit allowing cf the entire device being is is also mounted and suitably, arranged upon the auxihary element and supplied with fuel from a conveniently disa plane arallel to thevelocipedewheel. I'donot con ne myself however to any specific means rovided the desired object is attained. Prefera 1y I employ'the means illustrated in the drawings comprising the frame is which is advantageously extended in a forward direction for connection to the transverse pivot In, and which in conjunction with astay k eflicientl supports the auxiliary wheel lat- 'erally'w ile allowing it to perform its swivelin movement. A convenient disposition at e fuel is effected by making provision for its accommodation in the frame la which may be hollow at the parts 70 is and provided with suitable means Z, Z for filling and egress, while further space is economized by so locating and forming'the portion k as to constitute a guard for the protection of the rider from dust and mud. In some cases I may provide a simple fork in lieu of the frame k and arrange the mud ard and fuel tank as separate fitments, while in all cases suit-v able means are provided for the lubrication of the engine. If desired provision ma be made for protecting the mechanism 0m damage in the event of a fall.

as V

-- pede for transmittin the thrust of propulsion' and one metho of effecting thls urpose is shown in Figs. 2 and 3 in which ual struts m are connected at one extremity m to the transverse pivot k and at the other end m to the rear axle of the velocipede. By forming the ends m of a flat section, as shown, an extended spindle for attachment of the motor wheel is rendered unnecessary thereby permitting it to be indiscriminately cou led to all sizes and classes of velocipedes wit out alteration thereto. If desired a supplementary guide rod 0 of suitable confi uration and forming an extension of one o? the struts m may be incorporated, the

inner bearing 72 of the motorwheel being appropriately extended at p to slide on the rod 0 while for preventing the motor wheel from leaving the guide when striking an obstruction stops 0' are incorporated, Excessive bouncing of the wheel may be obviated by introducing a frictional resistance between the relatively moving and fixed parts of the apparatuses for instance a spring washer as shown, in Fig, 3, such spring being a in taining the auxiliary wheel A in effective contact with the road.

The connection of the -auxiliary driving The aforementioned transverse pivot k is stable and serving to assist in re-.

frame of the velocipede. The invention thus allows of a solid or cushioned the or tread being used in conjunction with the motor driven wlieel A, such tread in'some cases being serrated orprovi'ded with means whereby it may more effectively grip the ground and thereby propel the vehicle.

In some cases provision may'be made for locking the auxiliary wheel connection in; .order to render the machine self-supporting.-

and thereby dispense. with a stand, while the fork or frame of the auxiliary wheel may have the arm is jointed to the velocipede frame at or near the bottom bracket instead of to the back axle as ,aforedescribed. It is found in practice that theattachment materially assists in the prevention of skidding, while the mode of attach. ment enables it to be quickly fastened in position on or removed from the- Velocipede when required.

Having now clare that what I claimv is p 1. Abicycle of the class wherein balance is maintained wholly by the rider, comprising in combination, a ffame and a rear wheel therefor, a s ngle motor ,wheel dis posed alongside of and'in extremely close proximity to said rear wheel, means carried by and rotatively driving the motor wheel and :disposed wholly on that side thereof farthest from the rear wheel, and frame mechanism connecting the motor. wheel with the bicycle for transmitting propulsive efforts from the former to the latter and maintaining the motor wheel in a line of travel parallel with the line of travel of the bicycle wheel, substantially as described.

2. A bicycle of the class wherein balance is maintained by the rider, comprising in combination, a frame and a rear wheel therefor, anauxiliary wheel, means carried by the auxiliary wheel for rotatively driving the same, and a frame mechanism for the auxiliary wheel pivotally connected with the bicycle at one point and slidably connected therewith at another -point for -transmitting propulsive efforts from the auxiliary wheel to the bicycle, substantially as described.

3. A. bicycle of theclass wherein balance is maintained wholly by the rider, comprising in combination, a frame and a rear wheel therefor, an auxiliary wheel alongside the rear wheel, means carried by the auxiliary wheel for rotatively driving the same and frame mechanism for the auxiliary wheel photally connected with the described my invent-ion I de-. 

